Carrot Recipes

My husband Lulu, baby Aria and I had a delightful time at San Gregorio beach this weekend. He took care of most of the food; I only prepared a salad. For easy transportation, I cooked quinoaand pre-seasoned it with a salad vinaigrette. I also added carrot, corn, broccoli, zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes and sweet cheese.

Lulu was so thoughtful and took care of the rest. He woke up early, took care of our new puppy Ernest, went groceries shopping, bought a baguette and a wonderful array of cheeses (manchego, out-of-this world truffle cheese, goat cheese, etc.) and packed the trunk of the car with our picnic bag with plates and cutlery. But I think the most beautiful surprise was when we reached the beach. He gave Aria a gift of a lovely beach sand toy set and bubble kit. You should have seen the excitement in her eyes; it almost made me teary.

It was such an incredible day: the weather was gorgeous; it was slightly overcast and the sounds of the waves were very pleasant. The view was spectacular with a beautiful soft sand beach and dunes to the right and a bridge to the left, complete with a creek underneath and a tunnel worn into the rocks nearby. We also enjoyed good food and stayed there for a few hours. My favorite part was watching Lulu and Aria building sand castles. Loved it!

Sometimes I'm inspired by a fabulous meal at a restaurant, a dish on tv, or something that a friend whips up. Other times, like today, I find ingredients in front of me that I have to put to use. This recipe definitely falls into the latter category. I was determined to use the shredded carrots that remained from my morning freshly-pressed carrot juice. I decided to combine them with cocoa and Earl Grey tea and make earthy, complex cupcakes.

I think the combination worked beautifully. My husband Lulu loves tea so I wanted to incorporate this ingredient in the sweets. I used it as the icing of mini-cupcakes.

Cooking is an expression of love, so it doesn't matter how elaborate your dish is or how many hours you devote to it, what's really important is the matter in which you prepare it. Put your heart and soul into cooking, and I guarantee you that those who will enjoy the product of your efforts will appreciate it.

Since the New Year, I took our juicer out and it's been sitting on the counter so we can have freshly-made juice every day. Today I extracted juice from carrots, and since I hate wasting, I used the carrot shreds and baked a cake.

To ensure the cake was moist, I added crushed pineapple (I regularly cut whole fresh pineapple as a snack) and used creme fraiche that my friend Steve from the Milk Pail in Mountain View gave us. Steve just introduced me to a new product his friend Warren from Snowville Creamery from Ohio sent over. It’s amazing! If you’re in the Bay Area, definitely take some time to visit the Milk Pail and try out some of the unique products only they carry.

We just purchased the tickets for our next trip to Paris. My best friend Alexia is getting married and I wouldn't miss it for the world. For this reason, my husband Lulu and I have committed ourselves to looking good and being healthy for the occasion. I've controlled the portion size of our meals and we work out as often as we possibly can. This morning, Lulu woke up early to play football with friends and while he was busy during his game, I whipped up a light meal for him.

I tossed hakka noodles (vegetarian wheat noodles made without eggs) with mock ground meat, julienned carrots, bell peppers and yellow onions. I served them at room temperature in lettuce cups and added sweet potato shoestrings as a crunchy garnish. Whenever I make a dish, I try to balance the textures and colors, which I find key to the success of any meal. The sweet potato shoestrings, in particular, are extremely versatile and can be used as the crunchy element in many savory dishes. They didn't quite make my first cookbook, Haute Potato, but I still highly recommend trying them. You'll end up eating them by the handful!

As I mentioned last week, I will be posting a vegetarian dish on "Meatless Mondays" and a scrumptious dessert for the weekend. I figure one will cancel out the other. Last weekend I shared a Meyer lemon mousse in wonton cups, and this week, well you'll just have to come back on Friday and see!

Today, I felt an urge to make chocolate pudding. By itself it can be a bit boring, so I spiced it up with cardamom and carrots. The idea is to obtain a gooey melted center with crackly edges. I love the contrast of hot and cold, so I paired the baked dessert with Indian cardamom ice cream I bought at a local Indian store.

I made the dessert in individual ramekins, which can help with portion control (assuming you stop at just one). This dessert might be a little high in calories, but what’s life without a little decadence? You won't be able to resist!